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With their 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United now behind them, Liverpool are on the road again this evening with a Carabao Cup clash against Championship side Preston North End.

Ahead of the match, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders revealed that there are a number of injury concerns at the Merseyside club at the moment, especially in midfield with the likes of Naby Keita, James Milner, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott all expected to miss the match at Deepdale.

On the chalkboard

Taking this into account, one senior midfield option that Klopp should turn to tonight to help his side get through to the next stage of the competition is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

In Liverpool’s previous Carabao Cup match that saw them beat fellow Premier League side Norwich City 3-0, Oxlade-Chamberlain started and played the full 90 minutes of the game and managed to grab one assist, make two key passes, block two shots, complete two successful dribbles, make one interception and one tackle in the process.

This season as a whole has seen the Englishman make eight appearances for the Reds across all competitions, starting just two of them, making him somewhat of an outcast at the moment.

His latest appearance saw Oxlade-Chamberlain come on as a substitute in the second half of the match at Old Trafford at the weekend in which he managed to complete 90% of his passes, complete 100% of the long balls he attempted, win both of the ground duels he was involved in, have one shot at goal and make one interception and two tackles, ultimately earning himself a very good overall match rating of 7.1/10 according to SofaScore.

The Merseyside club signed Oxlade-Chamberlain back in the 2017 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Arsenal in a deal worth a reported fee of £35m.

Since then, the midfielder, who is currently valued at £16.2m according to Transfermarkt, has made 112 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions in which he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 12 assists along the way.

Looking ahead to the Preston game, given the number of injury issues Liverpool currently have in midfield at the moment and the fact that it has been reported that Oxlade-Chamberlain is apparently concerned about his lack of game time at the Merseyside club, he could be what the team needs right now and that this is a great time for him to play another 90 minutes to show Klopp what he has to offer the side.

In other news: Klopp could save LFC millions by unleashing 21 y/o “leader”, he’s VVD’s heir apparent – opinion

Celtic were quoted a fee of £6.8m to sign left-back Aaron Hickey this summer, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: January links

Hickey, who spent time at Parkhead as a youngster, has been with Italian side Bologna since 2020.

He’s started every Serie A game this season, scoring twice, taking his appearance tally with his current employers to 23.

The left-back, who is ‘like Busquets’ according to former coach Austin MacPhee and has been hailed as an ‘extraordinary talent’, has been linked with a return to Celtic Park in the January window.

Both Aston Villa and the Hoops have been rumoured with a winter window swoop, but it seems as if former Celtic CEO Dominic McKay may have missed the best chance to bring the defender back to the club.

The Latest: £6.8m summer fee

The Daily Record shared a report on the 19-year-old on Tuesday, claiming that the Hoops were quoted a fee of £6.8m to sign the full-back in the summer.

He appeared to be a man on Ange Postecoglou’s radar, however, reports in the summer suggested Celtic’s bid was worth just £3.5m, so they are well short of that valuation.

The Verdict: Missed opportunity…

Left-back has recently been described as the ‘problem position’ at Parkhead by Frank McAvennie, and with Greg Taylor sidelined, it now appears as if McKay made a blunder by not signing Hickey.

Hickey’s Transfermarkt valuation, which was £4.5m in the summer, now stands at £7.2m, and as The Daily Record mention, the £6.8m summer asking price will only increase.

As Kieran Devlin states, none of Boli Bolingoli, Liam Scales or Adam Montgomery has made the left-back role their own with Taylor out, so the Hoops may live to regret not bringing Hickey back over the summer.

Tasmania’s new captain George Bailey loomed as the key man for his team after three days in Adelaide, where Tasmania held a slender lead with six wickets in hand

Cricinfo staff15-Oct-2009
ScorecardGeorge Bailey finished the third day unbeaten on 72•Getty ImagesTasmania’s new captain George Bailey loomed as the key man for his team after three days in Adelaide, where Tasmania held a slender lead with six wickets in hand. The Tigers closed at 4 for 151, with Bailey unbeaten on 72 and Luke Butterworth on 23, and a 42-run advantage over South Australia.However, Tasmania had little batting depth left in the pavilion and will need Bailey to kick on for a century on the final day. The Redbacks had already claimed first-innings points thanks largely to James Smith’s second-day century and Graham Manou kept the lead ticking over.Mark Cosgrove prodded a return catch to Daniel Marsh on 53, having added only seven to his overnight score, before Manou and Aaron O’Brien guided the lower-order effort. Manou played on for 40 and was one of three wickets for Brett Geeves, while Jason Krejza finished with 4 for 70.In reply, Tasmania’s second innings began shakily when they stumbled to 3 for 56. The run-out of Alex Doolan for 13 did not help matters and Peter George chipped in for two wickets but Bailey led by example and at stumps had put on 78 for the fifth wicket with Butterworth.

The first priority of the umpire review system is to eliminate obvious mistakes but the man in charge of implementing the technology hopes it will also lead to a new generation of walkers

Peter English24-Nov-2009The first priority of the umpire review system is to eliminate obvious mistakes but the man in charge of implementing the technology hopes it will also lead to a new generation of walkers. Dave Richardson, the ICC’s cricket operations manager, believes an indirect benefit of the two-appeals-per-innings innovation, which was implemented full-time in New Zealand on Tuesday and Australia from Thursday, will be more batsmen not hanging around when they’ve edged behind.In the 11-Test trial Richardson said not only did the percentage of correct decisions improve by 6%, but they noticed the players, the only ones who can call for a review under this part of the system, were adhering more closely to the spirit of cricket. “I quite like the idea of putting a bit of responsibility on them, they are very quick to shake their heads and wave their bat around when they get an inside edge,” he said at the Gabba. “Let’s see how brave they are when it comes to actually taking that responsibility.”Initially when we spoke we thought a possible indirect benefit might be that batsmen, when they do edge a ball, won’t hang around and will walk anyway because they will be inevitably given out in the long run and they might be shown up as, not cheats, but certainly not playing within the spirit.”Richardson said there were fewer issues of dissent from the players and there was also less pressure being placed on the on-field officials by the bowling side. “We’ve found in the trials that the vociferous appealing, and appealing when you know it’s not out, just to try to convince the umpire has seemed to go out of the game.”What’s worse for the game, Steve Bucknor’s effigy getting burnt in India from a bad decision or the opportunity to rectify his mistake and hopefully improving the spirit by saying to the players: it’s your game, your responsibility. You hit it, you walk, if you don’t think it’s out, don’t appeal.”Nine out of the ten ICC members voted for the adoption of the system in internationals – England were not in favour because it is the players who generate the review – but it still relies on the host broadcaster having the technology, which can include Hawk-eye, pitch maps, hot spot and super slo-mo. Hot spot will not be available to the umpires during the Australia-West Indies series, but the third official will always have the same replays as the fans in their lounge rooms.”Unfortunately in this day and age the guy’s not out when the umpire raises his finger, he’s out when Ian Chappell or Mark Nicholas says he’s the out,” Richardson said. “The modern view is we need to use technology.”Simon Katich, Australia’s opening batsman, said the system worked well for the team in South Africa at the start of the year. “We tended to use it at the right time,” he said. “We certainly had no dramas on it.”David Williams, the West Indies coach, said it was good to know the decisions would be well-made. “If the technology is there and used properly then I have absolutely no problem with it,” he said.Richardson wants to make one thing clear: it won’t be perfect. While the human element is being downgraded, there is still scope for doubt. “It’s so important for the person at home watching on television to understand that we are still not going to get 100% of the decisions right, because there are going to be some decisions that aren’t conclusive from the technology point of view. The obvious ones we’ll eradicate.”

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side appear to be closing in on a deal to bring Daizen Maeda to Parkhead in January.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by Fansided, the Daily Record journalist Scott Burns stated his belief that Celtic’s move for the Yokohama F. Marinos centre-forward appears to have a high probability of going through, something which backs up reports that claimed the Bhoys are close to securing a deal for the 24-year-old this winter.

Speaking about the Hoops’ interest in Maeda, Burns said: “Maeda is another player Ange Postecoglou knows well and if he comes in, which is likely, or another striker then January will be a time for Albian Ajeti to go out the door.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Maeda has been so far this season, the news that Celtic could well be on the verge of signing the Japan international is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 33 J League appearances this term, the £990k-rated man has bagged an extraordinary 20 goals, registered three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns have seen the man who Yokohama F. Marinos manager Kevin Muscat dubbed a “dream” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as his club’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Japanese football.

As such, considering the depth of attacking talent Postecoglou already possesses in his Celtic squad, with both Jota and Kyogo Furuhashi having highly impressed since joining the Bhoys this summer, the addition of a player with the goalscoring ability of Maeda would appear to bode extremely well for the Hoops’ chances of going on to reclaim their Scottish Premiership crown this season – something that would represent an extremely impressive debut campaign for the 56-year-old Celtic boss.

In other news: Ange must ruthlessly axe “horrendous” Celtic flop in Jan, he’s a huge “waste of money”

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Borna Barisic to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that the Glasgow Rangers left-back is one of a number of players on Steven Gerrard’s shortlist of transfer targets ahead of the winter window.

The report goes on to state that, while the 41-year-old Aston Villa manager does not want to ruin his relationship with the Scottish Premiership side, he believes the defender has the ability to make the step up to Premier League football and could look to pursue a deal for the 29-year-old in January.

Purslow must move

Considering the poor form of Aston Villa’s current first-choice left-back, Matt Targett, so far this season, the position would indeed appear as if it could do with strengthening in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over Targett’s 10 Premier League appearances this term, the £15.3m-rated man has helped his side keep just one clean sheet, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 1.2 clearances and winning a mere 3.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Villa’s 10th-worst performer in the league.

In comparison, while the Scottish Premiership is undoubtedly a lower standard of football than the English top-flight, Barisic has nevertheless looked much more impressive than the £34k-per-week Villa defender.

Indeed, over his six league appearances, the £5.4m-rated Croatia international has helped his side keep one clean sheet, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.5 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, three clearances and winning 4.3 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the player who Gerrard himself dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking the 29-year-old as Gers’ third-best player in the division.

As such, considering the stark contrast between the respective returns of each player, it would indeed seem highly advisable for Christian Purslow to sanction a swoop for the £18k-per-week Barisic in January, as he is most certainly a player Gerrard would love to once again have in his squad, as well as appearing to be an immediate upgrade on Targett.

In other news: Lange can solve Gerrard’s biggest AVFC problem with £5m swoop for “unpleasant” 23 y/o

Brad Haddin remains unconvinced of the umpire review system’s merits

Brydon Coverdale in Perth 14-Dec-2009Brad Haddin remains unconvinced of the umpire review system’s merits and would prefer the on-field officials to either have sole control or hand over all decisions to technology to eliminate “grey areas”. As the man standing behind the stumps, Haddin has the best view in the Australian team but has not yet been persuaded by what he has seen.Nor is he keen to take the responsibility of using his vantage point to advise the captain Ricky Ponting, who wasted both of Australia’s reviews early in West Indies’ second innings in Adelaide on unsuccessful caught-behind decisions, which are difficult to prove on replay. Ponting remains optimistic that the system can improve the game, West Indies’ captain Chris Gayle is against it, and Haddin has yet to be sold on the idea.”I wasn’t a great fan of it to start with, I think it’s designed to take the real howlers out of the game,” Haddin said. “Personally I am happy with either all the power the umpire has or giving everything to technology and referring all decisions. It’s still a bit of a grey area at the moment and we’ll have to see how it goes over the coming months.”As a keeper you do have the best view but I don’t want that pressure of getting the wrong or right one. It’s a funny one because we thought we had a couple of obvious ones in Adelaide that got turned down, but the bottom line is we are still taking 20 wickets a Test match without the referral system. I am not a great believer in it.”Ponting asked the umpires for their thoughts on the review system after Adelaide and in the nets at the WACA on Monday he and Billy Bowden had a long discussion. Bowden was flown to Perth to officiate in the third Test after Mark Benson went home to England following the first day in Adelaide. Benson said his decision to withdraw from the Test was entirely due to health reasons and denied reports that it was due to his dissatisfaction with the review system.

Doug Bollinger proved during the Adelaide Test that he is a passionate character on the field and he has enjoyed stepping in to Australia’s new-look fast-bowling group in the absence of Ben Hilfenhaus

Cricinfo staff11-Dec-2009Doug Bollinger proved during the Adelaide Test that he is a passionate character on the field and he has enjoyed stepping in to Australia’s new-look fast-bowling group in the absence of Ben Hilfenhaus. Australia view Bollinger, Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle as the future of the Test attack, and despite being the oldest of the four, Bollinger is the least experienced in Tests.That hasn’t stopped Bollinger, 28, from voicing his opinion out in the middle. Bollinger said the natural connection between the new fast bowlers helped counter the lack of experience in a line-up that the West Indies coach David Williams said during the Adelaide Test could “be taken apart”.”Sometimes you try and do that on the field, whether it’s a good time or a bad time, you like to put your comments in just because you’re think you’re a bit older and all that,” Bollinger said in the . “We all get along, all four of us, and [with] Troy Cooley the bowling coach have spoken a lot.”If anything happens we make sure we speak up. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played two games, 100 games, 50 Tests, as long as everyone’s putting their input in and doing something for the team. We all got along, myself, Hilfy, Sids and Mitch. I think that’s just as good as playing 120 games. As long as we’re all connecting.”Before the Adelaide Test, which was his second for Australia, Bollinger described himself as “loud and obnoxious” and his fiery nature was on display when he kicked the turf in anger at an lbw appeal that didn’t go his way. It was an action that earned him a reprimand from the match referee, but Bollinger has vowed not to lose his aggressive streak and hopes he and the similarly fiery Siddle can become a fearsome duo.”Sids is a great fighter,” Bollinger said. “He does get fired up, I like it, actually. You’re playing for your country, you’re not there to make friends, you’re there to win and do your best. A bit of fire doesn’t hurt anyone. I like it how he gets passionate, that’s all I try and do there and if you get a bit angry there, well, that’s good. I like to see it.”[Kicking the ground] was just one of those things that happened. Obviously there’s lines that you can’t cross in international cricket, and I think I was a little bit frustrated. I just wanted to do well and it all mixed together into a bit of a brain explosion, but that’s what happens and I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Newcastle United are reportedly targeting a move in the January transfer window for Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Lowdown: Lack of minutes

Despite the unavailability of Benjamin Mendy this season, the Ukraine left-back has still seen his minutes reduced at Manchester City, with just six games played so far across all competitions.

However, he did impress in central midfield in their 2-1 win at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night, helping to keep Lionel Messi quiet with his ‘mammoth effort’ (Manchester Evening News), as the Argentine superstar was reduced to just one shot at the Etihad Stadium.

Nonetheless, Pep Guardiola can still call upon a plethora of options in the middle of the park, so it may now be time for Zinchenko to move on.

The Latest: Newcastle target

As per The Daily Mail, the 24-year-old is now on Newcastle’s list of transfer targets ahead of January.

They are reportedly weighing up an ‘ambitious’ loan move for the Ukraine international as City search for new signings in the left-back area.

The Verdict: Get it done

A loan move for Zinchenko is perfect for the Magpies’ situation, given that they are battling relegation from the Premier League. In the worst-case scenario that they do go down, the 24-year-old can then return to the Etihad at the end of the campaign, but he could certainly help to keep Newcastle up in the meantime.

Dubbed as an ‘exceptional’ player by Guardiola back in May, his ability to play in multiple positions could be so useful to Eddie Howe’s squad.

Having won numerous trophies at Manchester City as well, including three Premier League titles (Transfermarkt), Zinchenko has a winning mentality which could be vital in Newcastle’s dressing room as they aim to stave off relegation.

In other news, NUFC are also eyeing this ‘incredible’ beast

Scotland has been selected as the host for the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament in 2013.

Cricinfo staff04-Jan-2010Scotland will host the next ICC Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament in 2013, Cricket Scotland has announced. Its chief executive Roddy Smith confirmed the decision, following a Board meeting in December, where it was formally agreed to accept the ICC’s invitation to stage the event.The ICC is yet to make public this decision.”We are delighted to be invited to host this event, and it is too good an opportunity to miss this chance to compete for a World Cup place in our own familiar environment,” Smith said.”It will certainly provide a focus for the sport in Scotland, and we are fortunate in the Associate cricket world to have so many high-quality facilities available throughout the country for this purpose.”A favourable report from Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s official pitch inspector, led to the recommendation that Scotland host the event that decides which of the Associate member countries will make the cut for the 2015 World Cup.The qualifying tournament is slated for July 2013 and the initial plan is to involve up to 11 venues to stage the warm-up games and the actual matches.The potential venues will be scanned further by Cricket Scotland’s facilities committee, headed by Board director Jim Mcfadyen, to ensure that all necessary work is done to bring them up to the required standards in the coming three years.